The Jewish International Film Festival will build on its 26-year history as a platform for Jewish films in Australia when it returns on in October, beginning in Sydney on 26th October to 23rd November and then traveling across Australia and New Zealand before wrapping up in Canberra in November. The long running festival will return this year with sixty-eight premiere length and documentary films as well as seven shorts.
Bringing an exceptional trio of strong performing films from Germany, the festival will also feature films from eighteen other countries, including Argentina, Denmark, Germany and France. The films will not be limited in genre either with the inclusion of comedies, thrillers and drama films set to exhibit the versatility of Jewish film culture.
The Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF) will tour Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Auckland from late October, as well as making its first venture to Australia’s capital city.
The highlights of the festival this year will include powerful German dramas The People Vs Fritz Bauer, The Diary of Anne Frank and Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe.
After winning the Best Feature Film, Best Direction and Best Screenplay awards at the 2016 German Film Awards, The People Vs Fritz Bauer will finally make its way down under. The film is a historical thriller that follows ‘the story of Attorney General Fritz Bauer who sought the help of Mossad to bring Hitler’s henchman, Adolf Eichmann, to justice.’
The second film in the triage of German cinema finesse is the adaption of what is the most prolific Jewish story, The Diary of Anne Frank. The film has already had powerful international showings and is being touted as the most poignant, powerful dramatization of her life to date. Closing the German selection is Maria Schrader’s portrait of writer Stefan Zweig’s self-imposed exile in Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe.
Israel, a country known for powerful Jewish films will bring the Ophir nominated Our Father, along with Sand Storm and One Week and a Day to Jiff audiences. Multinational films tackling the tumultuous relations between father and son The Tenth Man, The Origin of Violence and Midnight Orchestra, have also been added to the program lineup.
Adding some diversity to the dramas and thrillers are the powerful and quirky documentaries Jerry Lewis: The Man Behind the Clown, Arthur Miller, Man of the Century, Aida’s Secrets, The Settlers, Princess Shaw and The Last Laugh.
The official dates and locations for the festival are:
Sydney
26th October – 23rd November || Bondi Junction Cinemas
27th October – 16th November || Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace
Melbourne
27th October – 23rd November || Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick
28th October – 23rd November || Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn
Perth
26th October – 6th November || Greater Union Cinenas, Morley
Brisbane
10th, 12th, 13th, 19th, and 20th November || New Farm Cinemas
Auckland
10th, 12th, 13th, 19th, and 20th November || Academy Cinemas
Canberra
10th, 12th, 13th, 19th, and 20th November || Dendy Cinemas
The full program details are to be revealed at the JIFF 2016 Program Launch Event that will include a screening of Woody Allen’s Cafe Society a month prior to it’s nationwide release. Tickets to the event are on sale from 28th September at jiff.com.au.
———-
